


And I Couldn't Be Happier That It Did

by lover_of_many_things



Series: Dorm Room Window [2]
Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Cat Carmilla, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-20
Updated: 2015-01-20
Packaged: 2018-03-08 10:23:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3205769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lover_of_many_things/pseuds/lover_of_many_things
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place after "It Came in Through the Bathroom Window"</p>
            </blockquote>





	And I Couldn't Be Happier That It Did

Laura threw open the closet door, muttering curses to herself as she tried to pick out a coherent outfit. She had been occupied all day with her Lit paper, and therefore the many ways to procrastinate writing her Lit paper, so much so that she nearly forgot about her coffee date with Carmilla. This was going to be their forth date…did these count as dates? She thought they did and she really hoped Carmilla did too. She quickly threw on the first clean pair of jeans she could find, she hadn’t done the laundry yet, and her favorite red flannel. She ran a hand through her hair, hoping it wasn’t too messy, grabbed her wallet, coat, and outdated cellphone, checked the window for any signs of the cat, and set out of her room.

Laura was power walking down the hall toward the steps and nearly ran straight into Lafontaine.

"Woahh," they held up their hands to stop Laura, "where’s the fire and who set it without me?" Laura tapped her foot, nervous and impatient, searching her mind for an answer that wouldn’t result in any harmless yet slightly embarrassing teasing.

"Uhhhh…I just realized I ran out of Soy milk. Yep. It’s completely gone."

"Laura, your diet consists of cookies, cocoa, and peanut butter. I’ve never even seen soy milk in your vacinity." They raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

"That’s exactly why I so strongly realized that I needed to get some."

"Uh huh." The agreement did not sound like they believed her, and Laf looked Laura up and down before a grin spread onto their face. "You’re going on another date, aren’t you?"

"Wha-? I…okay fine, yes. I’m going on another date which I am going to be late for if I don’t leave soon!" Laura fidgeted a bit in building frustration but Laf didn’t comment; they simply looked Laura up and down once again.

"I thought you would’ve played up the whole ‘virgin sacrifice’ thing a bit more if you really wanted something to result from these dates."

Laura looked down at her outfit choice. “I think I look fine—hey wait. What do you mean ‘virgin sacrifice thing’?”

Laf shrugs. “I just figured she might be into that sort of thing, being a vampire and all.”

"Wait. What? Vampire?"

"Yeah…I thought everyone knew. The seduction eyes she has thrown at you in the times I’ve seen you two together was enough for me to confirm it. Silas is against speciesism though, so-"

Just then, Perry seemed to pop out of nowhere at Laf’s side, gently placing her arm on the crook of their elbow. “Alright sweetie, let’s go and let Laura get to her date with Carmilla…”

Laf looked between Perry and Laura briefly before walking with Perry back to the floor-don’s dorm, throwing a, “have fun!”, over their shoulder.

Laura was sort of stuck in the same wide-eyed position she’d been in for the past couple of minutes, trying to process what Laf had just told her. Carmilla being a vampire? There was no way. That would be…that was just crazy. She shook her head and chastised herself for even considering the possibility and for making herself even further behind schedule. She quickened her pace and dug her phone out from her pocket, dialing the number that she’d gotten the day after the cocoa date (?, she still wasn’t sure if that one counted) in her dorm. A small smile spread onto her face when she remembered how she managed to get the number.

Laura had been worried that she wouldn’t see Carmilla again, since before their chance meeting she had never really seen Carmilla around campus. She had voiced her concerns to the cat, as she often did whenever she was thinking late at night or having existential crises. She had woken up the next day with the cat gone as usual, and had gotten ready for her classes of the day; biology was dull, but journalism was interesting. When she was leaving the building her journalism class was in, she had been greeted with a surprise. Carmilla was there, leaning against the railing of the stairs.

She had pushed off of the railing when she saw Laura and approached her. Carmilla once again thanked Laura for a nice evening and slipped something into her hand that Laura had ‘forgotten to ask about last night’. Laura looked at what her hand was holding and she couldn’t help but smile, seeing that it was a phone number. Carmilla left Laura with a ‘See you around, cupcake’, and a smirk.

Her reminiscing was cut short by a voice speaking up on the other end.

"Hey, Creampuff." Laura couldn’t help but smile at the other girl’s voice.

"Hey," Laura started, "I’m on my way, but I got held up by Laf in the hallway, so I might be a tad bit late; I’m leaving the dorms now. I just wanted to let you know."

"Alright, I’ll just go get our drinks so they’ll be ready when you get here. Are you having your usual cocoa with extra whipped cream and chocolate sauce that probably holds entirely too much sugar than what is recommended for your daily needs?" Laura blushed and she nodded before realizing she was on the phone.

"Um, yeah. Thanks. I’ll pay you back when I get there."

"Don’t even think about it, cutie. I’ll see you soon." Carmilla ended the call before Laura could protest paying for her overly sweet drink. Laura shut her phone and headed toward the coffee shop they always met at as quickly as possible given the weather conditions. What Laf had said was nagging at the back of Laura’s mind as she walked. They were often right about a lot of things…

"Stop it, Laura, there’s no way she’s a vampire." She said aloud to herself. But then again, there were no bounds to the weirds of Silas, as she had discovered, and being a vampire wasn’t really that bad compared to other things. It was actually kind of—"Why am I even thinking about this?" She shook her head and carried on to the coffee shop.

Within a few minutes the coffee shop was in sight and Laura hurried just a bit faster to it. It was the small corner of a building that she didn’t even know existed, on the far side of campus. Carmilla had suggested it; the people who worked there seemed to be familiar with her, and Laura, in the few times she’d been there so far, had grown to really like the place. She reached the entrance and struggled a bit to get the door open; it was a fairly heavy door, but that was to keep the heat in during the winter. Once the door was open she slipped inside, shaking her body out slightly as the warm air hit her.

She looked around the small coffee shop; the lighting was dim as usual and jazz was quietly pouring out from some unseen speaker. There were a few people there, but not nearly as many as a mainstream coffee place would have. Laura liked the quaintness.

She shrugged off her coat and hung it up on the rack by the front door. She wasn’t really worried about it being taken. Laura made her way to the back corner of the shop, the only place not visible from the entrance; that was always where they sat. Laura turned the small corner around the counter and was met with their usual table, drinks resting on top of it, and Carmilla reading a book.

Sensing she was being watched, Carmilla glanced up from the book, a gentle smile flashing across her face when she noticed Laura. She closed her book and set it down on the table beside her drink before motioning for Laura to sit. Laura gave a quick lopsided grin and seated herself across the other girl, picking up her drink as she did. She took a sip and hummed in appreciation of the warmth and taste of the hot chocolate.

Placing her drink back down on the table she looked at Carmilla who was giving Laura her full attention. “So! Has anything interesting happened since our last da—meet up?”

Carmilla chuckled lightly. “You can call them dates, buttercup…at least, that is, if you want to call them that?” Carmilla’s voice was more nervous and vulnerable than Laura had ever heard it. Carmilla was looking at the mug she had in between her hands and twiddled her thumbs. Laura smiled and reached across the table to gently place her hand on top of Carmilla’s, effectively stopping the twiddling. Carmilla looked at Laura’s hand before looking up at Laura, visibly relaxing at the look on Laura’s face. Carmilla’s gaze was intense, more so than usual, and Laura felt her face heat up. She withdrew her hand and took a sip if her cocoa.

"So anything interesting since our last  _date_?” Laura had to admit she felt giddy saying the word aloud.

"Nothing worth mentioning, really, just classes." Carmilla leaned forward over the table, mug still held in between her hands. "What about you, Lois Lane? Heard anything interesting lately?"

Immediately, what Laf said came to the forefront of Laura’s mind, but she pushed it back. “Well actually, the alchemy club has been up to some weird transmutations lately…” Laura launched into an explanation of the possible things the alchemy club could be up to with what her evidence showed. Carmilla simply listened attentively, enjoying Laura’s facial expressions as she went through the points she wanted to make. Laura finished with her speculations on the alchemy club and tried to toss the conversation back to Carmilla. “Anyway, how was your day?” Laura took another sip of her drink as Carmilla answered.

"Better now that I’m here with you."

Laura scrunched up her nose and lowered the cocoa, “I have to say, your lines are normally better than that Carm. I-” Laura’s words died out as Carmilla leaned forward over the table. Carmilla was inches away from Laura’s face and Laura was pretty sure she wasn’t breathing anymore. Just when Laura thought they were going to kiss, Carmilla brought her hand up to Laura’s face and gently swiped her thumb across the top of Laura’s lip before sitting back and sucking the whipped cream she had wiped from Laura’s face off of her thumb. Carmilla looked Laura directly in the eyes and raised an eyebrow, silently challenging Laura’s criticism of the line she used.

"Sweet." Laura was pretty sure she was going to overheat at the rate her face was reddening. Laura couldn’t take it anymore, so she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"So, Lafontaine said that you’re a vampire!" Laura would have hit her head against the table repeatedly if Carmilla had not been there. Laura always had the wonderful talent of shooting herself in the foot. Carmilla’s demeanor immediately changed, her body became guarded rather than how open it was seconds before. Laura noticed the change and desperately tried to do damaging control, placing her hands flat against the table. "Not that that’s a bad thing if you are! I mean, there must be a bunch of awesome perks to being a vampire like super speed and strength and other stuff. Unless you aren’t a vampire or you don’t like being one, then I’m sorry. Either way, as long as you’re you, I like you way too much to care. And I’m going to shut up now." Laura propped her elbows up on the table and rested her head in her hands so that her hands covered her face and her hair was draped around her. She was afraid to look at the expression on Carmilla’s face. How could everything go up in flames so quickly? She’d have to ask Lafontaine their theory when she next saw them.

Laura was expecting to be left at the table or, worst case scenario, be bitten for her knowledge. What she was not expecting was the soft laughing coming from the other side of the table. Laura tentatively lifted her head from her hands to look at Carmilla. Carmilla just shook her head while she chuckled, raising her mug to her lips. She took a sip from her mug; Laura wasn’t really sure what was in the mug because the baristas always knew Carmilla’s order and made it without asking. Carmilla placed her mug on the table. “Let’s talk about this somewhere else, hmm?” Her voice wasn’t angry or hostile; it was low and smooth, her words as languid and fluid as they usually were. It still sent shivers, which she tried not to show, down Laura’s back.

Laura realized she still hadn’t answered when Carmilla raised an eyebrow. She nodded. “Yeah, sure. My dorm?”

"Sounds perfect." Carmilla stood, pulling on her coat and grabbing her book. Laura chugged down the rest of her cocoa and placed the mug back down on the table for the baristas to collect. She shot up from the table and went to get her coat from the rack, Carmilla following behind her. Laura started to get her coat and scarf on and turned to try and start up another conversation, but came face to face with Carmilla. Carmilla deliberately reached around Laura to grab her deep red scarf, elegantly wrapping it around her neck. Laura tried to bury her face in her scarf to hide how flustered she was. Carmilla looked a bit smug.

Carmilla easily pushed the door open with one hand and held it for Laura to walk through. Laura smiled in thanks and exited the coffee shop. The cold hit her and she immediately hunched over a bit in order to shield herself from the cold. Carmilla came next to her and they began the trek back to Laura’s dorm. After a rather forceful gust of wind, Laura instinctually latched onto Carmilla’s arm, holding it for stability and in an effort for warmth. Carmilla was startled for a moment, and tensed before relaxing into Laura. They stayed like that the entire way back to the dorm. The walk was silent; Laura tried to start up a conversation a few times, but couldn’t get the words past her chattering teeth. Laura thought about Carmilla, instead of talking to her, and found that she was more nervous at their proximity than the fact that she was possibly a vampire—that had yet to be determined.

Within 10 minutes they entered the dorm, but Laura didn’t detach herself from Carmilla until they reached her room. Laura was glad Lafontaine and Perry were preoccupied, though she didn’t particularly want to find out what they were preoccupied with (the tie on the doorknob, which was most likely Laf’s doing, was enough information for her). Laura unlocked the door and pushed it open. No Betty. Laura tried not to take it personally at how scarcely Betty seemed to actually be in their room. Carmilla entered and Laura closed the door behind them, shrugging off her coat in the process. She hung her coat up and Carmilla draped her coat over the computer chair like she had done every time she came over.

Carmilla plopped down at the head of Laura’s bed, and Laura moved to sit towards the foot of the bed so that she was far enough away that she wouldn’t get flustered…hopefully. Laura looked at Betty’s side of the room, opening and closing her mouth several times, thinking of what to say, but Carmilla beat her to it. “So, I’m a vampire…” Laura’s mouth dropped open slightly and she couldn’t help but choke out a laugh at Carmilla’s nonchalance. She turned to comment on how casually Carmilla admitted being a vampire, but decided against it when she saw the fear and vulnerability in Carmilla’s eyes. Carmilla was hiding behind an air of indifference, yet she was often guilty of caring too much. Laura hesitated for only a second before scooting closer to Carmilla and gently resting her hand on Carmilla’s knee.

“Do you want to talk about it? I would love to hear about your life. Oh,” Laura straightened up slightly when an idea came to her, “Maybe we could record it for my journalism project!” Carmilla’s mouth quirked up into a smile and she shook her head.

“I don’t think I’m ready for that just yet, maybe one day if you tie me down, but…I’ll tell you. So buckle up Creampuff; it’s a long ride.” Laura was about to defend herself by saying that she’d  _never_  tie somebody up to get a story, but, to be honest, she wasn’t really sure. She did have the tendency to get intense when it came to getting something she was set on. Instead, she nodded and gave Carmilla her full attention.

“I was born Mircalla, daughter of the Count Karnstein in Styria, a duchy of Austria, in 1680. Austria was embroiled in the Great War against the Ottoman Empire, but such things meant little to a wealthy girl. When I was eighteen, I attended a ball where I was murdered…” Laura resisted her urge to add theatrics to the story and squeezed Carmilla’s knee lightly; she removed it afterwards, realizing how long it had been there. Carmilla went back to her story, telling Laura of her mother, the travelling they did and the sights they saw, but slowed when she started to talk about what happened in the late 1800s. “It was 1872 when I met Ell. She was naïve and entirely too good for me, yet I couldn’t help but…” She trailed off, clenching and unclenching her fists.

“Maman did not like my relationship with Ell. She didn’t think Ell was worthy of me. I convinced Ell that we should run away and live our lives free of governesses and wards. But Maman went behind my back and told Ell what I was. Ell believed me to be a monster and ran off. In order to teach me a lesson, Maman sealed me in a coffin filled with blood for 70 years, until the last great war of the modern world littered the earth with bombs and set me free.” Laura could barely register what she was hearing. 70 years in a coffin of blood as punishment for what? Falling in love? Laura reached over and laced her fingers through Carmilla’s, squeezing her hand supportively.

Carmilla let out a shaky breath. “I can still remember the night I was freed. Dust and dirt was flying everywhere and the smell of death filled the air, but the only things I could concentrate on were the stars. The first light that there had been in perpetual darkness. The only things really letting me know that I was out of the coffin, that I was free.” Carmilla squeezed Laura’s hand and paused for a moment, gathering herself. “From there, Mother found me again in France in the 50s, and I’ve been here, on and off, ever since.”

“Why here?”

“Maman is the Dean.”

“Wait, what?” Laura leaned back, eyes widened in astonishment.

“Yeah, the night we formally met I had just had an argument with her, but you turned my night around.”

Laura raised an eyebrow at her use of “formally”, but shrugged it off. “What did you argue about?” Now, Laura was almost completely certain that Carmilla had been crying when they first bumped into each other.

“We just had another disagreement, but I managed to win it this time.” Laura could see what talking about all of this was doing to Carmilla’s mood, so she quickly tried to change the subject.

“So! Back in the coffee shop was I right about any of my guesses? Are there any other things you can do?” Carmilla looked at Laura and smiled appreciatively.

“In fact, cutie, you were right. I have ‘super speed and strength and other stuff’” She used the hand not holding Laura’s, she had no desire to let go of Laura’s hand at all, to quote and unquote what Laura had said earlier on their date. “I also have pyrokinesis.”

“Please don’t tell Laf that.” Laura grimaced at all the shenanigans that could result. “Is there anything else in the ‘other stuff’ category?” Carmilla looked at the ground and glanced at Laura, unsure whether or not she wanted to tell her.  _To hell with it, I’ve come this far,_  she thought.

“Okay. There’s one more thing.” Laura hummed in both acknowledgment and question. Carmilla didn’t even untangle their fingers before she was replaced by a poof of smoke. Laura started in surprise. The black smoke dissipated until all that was left was…a very familiar black cat.

“No way.” The cat, or rather, Carmilla—Catmilla—meowed and nodded her head. Laura groaned, leaned forward, and buried her head in her hands.

“That means you heard me say so many embarrassing things! I was gushing about you, to you!” Laura knew that her face was probably completely red, and she didn’t dare look up. “At least I never changed in front of you. I didn’t—did I?” Laura tried to remember every time the cat,  _Carmilla_ , came over and exactly everything she said or did in her presence. She was only on the third day in her mind, when Catmilla rubbed against her arm, purring, trying to squeeze onto Laura’s lap. Laura rubbed her hands down her face and sat up, allowing Carmilla to place herself on Laura’s lap. Laura sighed and pet Carmilla’s fur. “You are too cute for your own good, Carm.”

Before Laura could even register it, the cat in her lap was once again human and she had arms draped around her neck. “Well I’m glad you think so, Laura.” Laura wasn’t sure if it was the proximity, or the way Carmilla was looking at her, or the way Carmilla said her name, or maybe a combination of all three, but the tension was too much for her. She surged forward and captured Carmilla’s lips, both of them melting further into the kiss as it went on. Finally, Laura pulled back and looked at Carmilla; they were beaming at each other.

“So, you’re a black cat, huh?” Carmilla laughed and nodded, resting her forehead against Laura’s and gave Laura another kiss. After they separated again, Carmilla moved off of Laura’s lap and sat next to her, intertwining their fingers. “What’s it like to be a cat?”

“Well,” Carmilla started as she played with Laura’s fingers, “it depends on what type of cat I am. The house cat size seems to be the most inconspicuous when I’m going around campus; if I’m a kitten someone inevitably tries to pick me up and if I’m a panther they scream bloody murder. It’s really only different sensory wise, most of everything else is the same.”

  “Wait. So you’re telling me that you can be a kitten and a panther whenever you want, too?”

Carmilla shrugged. “Yeah.”

“That’s amazingly cool! Can you show me the panther?”

“I don’t know…”

“ _Please?_ ” Laura tried to plead as best she could; throwing in a slight pout just for further effect; it seemed to work. Carmilla sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

“Fine.” Carmilla stood and she quickly shifted into a slightly larger than average black panther. Laura mouth dropped open a bit.

“You’re gorgeous.” She slid off of the bed and kneeled beside Carmilla, raising her hand to run it along Carmilla’s back. “Holy crapsticks your fur is soft.” Laura’s voice came out in a whisper, although she didn’t really know why. Laura continued to pet Carmilla, marveled at how breathtaking and powerful she looked at the same time, although, that’s kind of how she always looked. Laura decided that she liked this form the most, although she had yet to see the kitten form yet. After a while of Laura’s ministrations, Carmilla laid down, placing her head in Laura’s lap. Somehow, they both fell asleep on the floor, managing to find a way to use each other as a pillow.

It was a few hours later when Betty walked through the door, back from a long study session with a friend. She took one glance around the room, and immediately saw her roommate sleeping and cuddling on the floor with a giant panther. She blinked, grabbed her already packed overnight bag, and headed out of the dorm. “Why am I even going to this school?”

She would sleep at a friend’s tonight and not question her roommate’s odd and dangerous choice of a cuddling partner.


End file.
